The Congress on Monday suspended Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who is facing accusations of inappropriate behavior towards women, from the party’s primary membership.
Announcing the decision to suspend Rahul from the party, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said that since there was no police case or no formal complaints received by the party against the former, there was no justification for demanding his resignation.
“The Congress was giving high regard to women’s dignity and safety. Hence Rahul was suspended. There’s no precedent of any MLA resigning in such a situation,” he said.
Sunny Joseph said that the suspension of Rahul Mamkootathil was decided after thorough discussions with the UDF convenor and senior party leaders, emphasizing that the action was based on the Indian National Congress’s firm belief in protecting the dignity and safety of women.
Earlier on August 21, Rahul had resigned as Youth Congress state president after multiple allegations, including statements from actress Rini Ann George and transwoman Avanthika, who shared accounts of harassment. Several complaints against Rahul had also reached the party’s national leadership.
With the suspension, Rahul will have to sit as an independent block in the upcoming legislative assembly session scheduled to begin on September 15. However, it is likely that he may go on leave and skip the session altogether.
Rahul contested the Palakkad Assembly bypoll in November 2024, after Shafi Parambil, the former Palakkad MLA, won the Vadakara Lok Sabha election. He won the election with a huge margin.
It was after actress and former journalist Rini Ann George alleged that a ‘young politician ‘from Kerala had sent her offensive messages and invited her to a hotel room over three years ago, the misbehavior charges against him flared up. In the days that followed, several women came forward, accusing him of misconduct and harassment.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan said the party suspended the MLA after considering the seriousness of the allegations against him, even though no written complaint has been received so far.